As mentioned recently, I’m going to publish some of my old photos of China. Here are a couple of photos of an ‘international’ hotel in China – the Dynasty Hotel in Zhaoqing – taken back in 2002. Hotels such as this provide a great refuge for expats living in China, especially those living in small to medium cities.
Tag Archives: Life
Photos Of Life In China
Stevo from Asian Ramblings recently visited Zhaoqing, a city I lived in way back in 2002. Even though Stevo didn’t get a chance to check out Zhaoqing, it got me thinking about my time living there and I dug out my old photos.
Makeshift Village Ping Pong Table
Stas Kulesh posted a photo of some kids playing ping pong (also known as table tennis) on a makeshift ping pong table:
It’s a great photo, combining many elements. First, it shows a typical Chinese village, with the motor bike utility vehicle in the background, the little sweeping brush leaning against the wall, etc. This is a great setting for this photo.
Next, it shows the inventiveness of Chinese people, because they have literally made a ping pong table using a stone counter (not sure what it’s used for) and adding a stick propped on two bricks as the net. The most remarkable table tennis table I’ve ever seen!
Finally, it’s a great action shot, with the ping pong ball arriving at the other end and the boy moving as a result. However, look closely and you’ll notice something strange – the boy at the far end doesn’t have a ping pong paddle!
Great photo, but those boys really need to go buy some more ping pong paddles.
KTV – Karaoke In China
One experience that most newly arrived foreigners in China have in common, is wondering what all the KTV signs represent. These signs can be seen in quantity in any city in China.
The Cost Of Living In China
Recently, I was browsing a forum topic on the cost of living in China. I’ve been meaning to write about this for a while, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to respond to question posed on the forum.
Full Face Sun Visors
Recently, egorick posted a picture of a cyclist wearing a full face sun visor:
Co-incidentally, I just came across an old post on Sinosplice called China’s Solar Visor Craze which discusses the sun visor craze starting in 2004. I’m pretty sure that I saw these way back in 2002 in Guangdong, so it may have taken a while for them to spread to the rest of the country.
The popularity of these sun visors is in large part due to an obsession with protecting themselves from the sun. This is especially prevalent in Chinese women, who want to have milky white skin – traditionally peasant women had dark skin from working in the fields, wheras high class ladies spent most of their time indoors and had pale skin as a result.
Anyway, these sun visors are a very clever invention and they seem to be spreading – I recently saw a lady wearing one of these full face sun visors in the middle of Brisbane! Not really surprising given the large number of Chinese people in Brisbane, but it took me rather aback.
Lady and Children
Darren On The Road posted a photo:
This is just a photo of a lady and a couple of children, but I find it interesting because it has that human element to it. It also helps show what China’s really like. I’ll probably include more shots of people in future, for that reason. Part of the purpose of this blog is to help people understand what China’s really like. A large part of that are the Chinese people.
At times, living in China can be frustrating, and as anywhere in the world, there are always people who make life harder, but I’ve found the following to be true: Anyone who visits China with an open mind and takes the time to get to know the local people, ends up making some very good friends.
Of course, photos can’t capture that side of things easily, but they can capture the visual aspect of the Chinese people. They are a large part of what makes China so interesting. When you walk out into the street in China, it’s teeming with people. Whichever way you look, you’ll always find something interesting to look at – and often it’s the people.
Liptons Tea In China
Liptons Tea is widely available in China these days. I used to drink it a lot when I lived in China.
photo by myuibe
They have the full range of different Liptons tea products. That’s the Lemon flavoured one in the photo above. I preferred the straight green tea option. You can get black tea too (although note that the Chinese call it Red Tea, because of the colour when you add water).
I also took a liking to Liptons Milk Tea instant tea powder, although it’s strange to see it packaged like that – it’s basically a mix of tea, sugar and whitener so you have milk tea ready to go.
As for it being Liptons, well you can get almost all the major Western brands in China these days, especially in the bigger cities. Lays chips, Snickers Bar, Pantene Shampoo, anything by Nestle, you name it. That’s just the start. The big companies have moved into China in a big way in the last 5 years.
China’s Dragon Boat Festival Holiday
Image Source: Dragon Boat Racing by Mr WabuLicense
This is another post I wrote a little while ago and haven’t posted until now.
China’s Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu) occurs on 5th May on the Lunar calendar. This equates to the following dates on the Western calendar:
- 2012 date: 23 June
- 2013 date: 12 June
As the name of the Festival indicates, it’s famous for Dragon Boat racing! People also eat zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves) and drink baijiu (Chinese wine) during this holiday. Continue reading
Beijing Street Scene
This photo of a Beijing street scene has a lot in it:
photo by myuibe
- The volleyball advertisment: I’ve always thought that this advertisement is cool. Looks great.
- The KTV Hotel: which you can find throughout in China – although I’m not into Karaoke myself, KTV is an important part of everyday life in China.
- Bicycles on top of a hut: which seems to be UPS hut, providing bicycle couriers I guess. Modern China.
But the real value in this photo comes from the couple sitting on the bench. Their positioning is great: leaning against each other, while the mother nurses the baby, her leg up against the plant holder. Its a classic!
The other stuff in the photo is interesting, but without the couple, it would not add up to a photo I’d pick to highlight on JobsInChina. In fact, the photo would probably benefit from cropping the rest out and making the couple the focus of the photo.
Click on the photo to see the bigger image at the Flickr site. You’ll be able to see the details much more clearly.